The path to become a fully trained physician parallels the time when major life events, such as long-term partnership and family building, often take place. These important life events may intersect and conflict with the trainee's career plans. Approximately one quarter of physicians marry another physician, necessitating the navigation of two sets of complex and often different career timelines for medical training [1]. Additionally, becoming a parent is a personal aspiration held by nearly 67 % of medical trainees [2]. Overall, 87 % of medical trainees are under the age of 35, when fertility typically begins to sharply decline, and over half (52 %) are in the 5-year window leading up to this pivotal age [2]. Despite the biologic implications, physicians' decisions regarding family building are heavily influenced by their professional goals. Among a multispecialty population of female physicians, 75.6 % reported delaying family building due to their career [3]. Not surprisingly, between 24 and 37 % of female physicians are diagnosed with infertility, compared to an estimated 11 % of the general population, likely a combined result of delaying childbearing and occupational-related hazards affecting fertility and pregnancy [[3], [4], [5]].

Research in the past decade has explored the experience of surgeons as they integrate personal and professional goals. Nearly 43 % of surgical trainees are married to another physician, with 11 % married to another surgeon [6]. In such pairings, the timing of one's training is heavily impacted by the partner's, with unequal residency and/or fellowship durations resulting in either the need to live apart or the need for one or both partners to modify the trajectory by which they complete their training. Training or practicing as a surgeon also impacts one's plans for family building. As is seen in a broader physician population, most female surgeons (74 %) report planning childbearing around their training or career [7].

While the broader surgical world is still male-dominated, with women accounting for 22.6 % of practicing general surgeons, Gynecologic Oncology (GO) is becoming a majority-female surgical specialty [8]. In the 2020 SGO State of the Society survey, women respectively made up 9 %, 49 %, and 73 % of the senior, full, and trainee membership groups, underscoring the specialty's evolving demographics [9]. The last study examining how female gynecologic oncologists navigate their personal and professional careers was carried out in 2000, when 84 respondents provided insight into their decisions and experiences regarding partnership and family building [10]. Given the increasing number of women in GO and the impact a surgical career has on one's personal life, we sought to better understand the recent experiences of trainee and practicing gynecologic oncologists as they navigate their careers, build families, and seek to align their personal and professional aspirations. This is the first study of this topic in this population.